{"id":6078,"date":"2017-07-15T13:50:29","date_gmt":"2017-07-15T18:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/windycityparrot.com\/blog\/?p=6078"},"modified":"2017-07-15T13:50:29","modified_gmt":"2017-07-15T18:50:29","slug":"the-truth-is-you-are-not-the-only-person-concerned-about-what-are-the-pros-and-cons-of-having-a-pet-bird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.windycityparrot.com\/?p=6078","title":{"rendered":"The Truth Is You Are Not The Only Person Concerned About What Are The Pros And Cons Of Having A Pet Bird?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What are the pros and cons of having a pet bird? was asked on Quora. This answer motivated me to set the record straight.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Pros<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

If you do it right, you’re going to have a loving companion animal for the next 60 years.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Cons,<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

If you do it wrong, you’re going to have a very unhappy bird for the next 60 years.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They can live sixty years or more.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They’re loud (a cockatoo\u2019s scream has been measured at over 100db, compared to 130db for a jet engine at 100 feet).<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They throw food.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

They throw tantrums.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They can inflict a very serious bite; I have the scars to prove it.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

These are not domesticated animals. They are only one generation from their cousins in the wild. They’re wild animals that have adapted to captivity and unpredictability is to be expected.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They aren’t potty trained and shit anytime the need arises.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They chew\u2026everything!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They are extremely intelligent and require constant interaction, 6-8 hours a day\u2026 minimum.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Their cages<\/a> need to be cleaned a minimum of once a day, preferably more, or you’re going to have a very stinky bird.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Their food and water dishes must be monitored several times a day and freshened up accordingly.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They need annual check-ups by a qualified avian vet, not your garden variety dog and cat vet. These check ups often cost hundreds of dollars.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They require roomy cages<\/a> costing hundreds of dollars.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They must constantly be supplied with a variety of expensive toys, around $20 each.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

They require specialized diets.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

If I think of any others, I’ll make the necessary edits.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

You’ll see the other answers I am “reacting” to on the Quora question here<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

We need to look at this question rationally. Applying a list of bullet points to the term “pet bird” is na\u00efve at best.<\/span><\/p>\n

Call me crazy (and many do) when I think of pet birds I think of all the types of birds that are kept in cages by humans. That’s a lot of bird species, actually more than 500 species of birds and parrots<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some parrots do live 60 years or more. Smaller species like canaries and budgies live 10 to 20 years.<\/span><\/p>\n

When someone says a cockatoos scream has been measured at over 100 dB, to be clear that’s an Umbrella or Moluccan\u00a0cockatoo and it’s actually 139 dB.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n